A few nights ago, my wife and I welcomed my sister, Cara, her husband, Chris, and our nephew, Joseph, over to our house to work on our boys’ Pinewood Derby cars for their Scout Pack 334. My sister is their Den leader and does a great job encouraging our kids.

For those of you who are not familiar with Scouting, the Pinewood Derby is something Cub Scouts participate in. Scouts are required to purchase a race kit which includes a precut block of wood, four wheels and four nails for axels. Scouts then cut, shave and carve their block of wood into a car. Pinewood Derby cars can be simple or elaborate; the imagination is one’s guide. Just as long as the car doesn’t exceed 5 ounces, you are clear to race.

Scouts gather together to race their cars on a sloped track made from wood or metal, and the winner has bragging rights for the year. The tracks could be plain or involved with all the bells and whistles. For my Scout group, Pack 65 and, later, Troop 65 from Memorial Baptist Church in Weirton, one of my best friend’s father Doug Reese and Mike Waldek put the time and effort into building our track so we could enjoy it. The leaders like Doug and Karen Reese, Mike, my parents and many others who gave so much of their time to us kids through the Scouting program is humbling, and it is something you don’t appreciate until you’re older with children of your own. I will always appreciate their dedication and the impact it made on us.

When I was a Scout, winning was never my ambition. My cars were made to look like the Titanic and an Egyptian sarcophagus to name a few. I was a nerd even then.

The Pinewood Derby and its association with the Cub Scouts started way back in 1953 at Manhattan Beach in California when the first race was held. By the mid 1950s the race had been adopted by the Boy Scouts and promoted in their Cub Scout program. I am not sure when the first Pinewood Derby races were held here in our area, but there were races here by 1957. According to the Jan. 23 edition of the Steubenville Herald-Star, the Roosevelt School Cub Scouts Pack 22 held its race during an award meeting. Winners were, first place, John Stroud, who won an engraved trophy, and second, Tod Garvin. In Weirton also that February, Pack 31 held its Gold and Blue Banquet in the ISU Hall where there was a race. Winners were Jimmy Ferrell, Gary Law and Terry Smith. Today the race is still an important highlight in the Scouting program.

Scouting in our area has a long history. Since its founding in 1910 there have been Scout troops here in our area. Troops are grouped into councils based off of geographical areas in which the troops reside. In our area we have the Ohio River Valley Council, although the history of it includes mergers with other smaller councils during the years. According to the Ohio River Valley Council website, the council was founded in 1917, by five troops out of Wheeling. For Brooke, Hancock and Jefferson counties, their organization was the Fort Steuben Area Council, which was in existence from 1946 through 1991. In that year, it merged with the National Trail Council and became the Ohio River Valley Council.

During the height of scouting in our area the Fort Steuben Area Council often boasted that more than half of the eligible boys of Scouting age from Brooke, Hancock and Jefferson counties were enrolled in the Scouting movement, and it was far above the national average.

In 1958 alone, just in the Weir-Cove district, 726 boys were enrolled and more than 364 adult leaders were registered to guide the Scouts. There were troops and packs in most of our area churches, schools and halls. It would be a job compiling a list of all those that were in existence during the years. My father was in Troop 132 from Sacred Heart, and my uncle, Joel Carpini, was in Troop 63 out of St. Joseph the Worker Church. There were Troop 4 from Second United Presbyterian Church in Steubenville; Troop 13 from Mingo Junction; Troop 85 from Brilliant; Troop 69 from New Manchester; Troop 159 from Wellsburg; Troop 67 from New Cumberland; Troop 62 from Broadview Elementary; Troop 131 from All Saints Greek Orthodox Church; Pack 130 from Edgewood PTA; Pack 61 from Lauretta B. Millsop PTA; Troop 34 from Cove United Presbyterian Church; Troop 64 from Kings Creek Union Chapel; Pack 39 from Weirton Lions Club; Troop 38 from Trinity Lutheran Church; Troop 33 from First Christian Church; and Pack 36 from First Methodist Church, all from Weirton. This isn’t by any means an all-inclusive list.

Opportunities for camping for the boys in the Fort Steuben Council were limited until the council purchased a 403-acre site on Lake Clendening, naming it Fort Steuben Scout Reservation in Harrison County, near Deersville. The sale was announced in the Weirton Steel Employees Bulletin in the February 1956 edition.

The camp was large and gave the Scouts of the Fort Steuben Area Council a home base for camping activities, especially for summer camps. As a youth, I spent many happy summer days at that camp, swimming in the lake, hiking in the woods, especially to Morgan’s Cave, the site where legend has it that Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan hid out during his famous raid of Ohio, and spending nights under the stars by a campfire.

Since the 1950s, area Scouts have taken advantage of the opportunities at Fort Steuben. In 1962, Fort Steuben Scout Reservation was expanded by 219 acres, and the facilities were improved. New tents, canoes, boats and other important infrastructure improvements were made or planned. The dining hall, trading post and a home for the camp ranger were built in 1964. The previous dining hall was originally a church built in 1839 and with the improvements, came better facilities. During the summer of 1969, 758 scouts attended summer camp at Fort Steuben Scout reservation earning 892 merit badges. I have already spent campouts with my sons at Fort Steuben.

For a Scout, the culmination of their career is obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout. This is the highest honor one can get in the Scouting program. I am fortunate to be an Eagle Scout, following in the footsteps of my father, Paul Zuros, who obtained the rank in 1965, and my uncle, Joel Carpini, in 1969. Mine came a few years later, in 2005.

Certainly, Scouting has been central not only in my life, but in the life of our community for many generations. Today Scouting is not just for boys, and girls, too, can now take part in the fun. With the changes to the rules everyone can now enjoy the great program that is Scouting. The Ohio River Council’s first female Eagle Scout was awarded on Nov. 10, 2021, to Madison Yaron of Moundsville. I hope that my son and nephew stick it out to obtain that high honor. It is something that they will treasure forever.